Abstract: The extispicy papyri from Greco-Roman Egypt had not received much scholarly attention until the recent surge in interest sparked by the publication of “Reading the Liver” (2015). This talk will discuss their importance for documenting the circulation of knowledge in the Ancient Mediterranean region. The anatomical terminology and divinatory hermeneutics of the papyri, including unpublished material, will be compared to those of Mesopotamian extispicy. Making use of the latest scholarship and drawing on parallels from other branches of the divinatory arts, an attempt will be made to answer the difficult questions of where, when and by whom the Mesopotamian tradition was introduced to Greece and/or to Egypt.
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